- In the Next Election Canadians Must Ask Themselves "Is it better to have Harper in power" - It's Just That Simple.

Submitted: 7:10am 24 Jan.'11 The Toronto Star

Harper still fails to inspire, STEPHEN HARPER: "It hasn't always been pretty."
GRAHAM HUGHES/THE CANADIAN PRESS, Jan 22 2011 The Toronto Star
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/925687--harper-still-fails-to-inspire

It is not a question of "bolder, more progressive choice"

The 66% Moderate Majority will have to ask themselves "is it better to have Harper in power", or even a Harper majority, simply because Ignatieff may be perceived mot to be 'bold' enough.

Stephen Harper has 33% die-hard support, epi-centred in Alberta, that support him pretty much no matter what as long as he tows the extreme right ideological line. With a minority they have cut him some slack since they feel it's better to have Harper in power than not, but with a majority they will expect him to come back home to his roost in the extreme right.

But no matter what Harper and the Con's cater to the 33% and the rest of Canadians be dam[redacted]ed and with a majority it will only be worse, much worse.

With his 33% die-hard support Harper can afford to target a few 'winnable' ridings to get the majority and it's quite doable, if the 66% Moderate Majority sit back and let him - remember Vaughan.

Any Liberal who takes the GTA for granted and is not fully prepared for an all out fight for seats by Harper and the Con's will be in for a serious shock. The Con's have a very highly developed and well 'oiled' campaigning machine in place throughout all of Canada, the likes of which have never been seen before north-of-the-border. They are quite capable of "kicking butt" in any region if you let them.

Vaughan is a good example of what can happen when Liberal are not mobilized and motivated at the grass roots. A Con was voted in, not because a majority of people in the riding wanted him. But, because of apathy by non-Cons, and in particular Liberals, resulting in a voter turn out of approx 33% and 10,000 less votes for the Liberals. The Con's maintained their vote because they have a core of die-hards who are willing to contribute to their cause both financially and in time. A similar phenom occurred in '08 and we all know what the result of that was.

It is only at the grass roots level, and with common determination, that Harper and his Con's can be put down to defeat and sent back from whence he came.

Lloyd MacILquham cicblog.com/comments.html